Of Spilt Milk and Acting
by NothingGoesAsPlanned
Summary: Nico didn't know what he was getting into when he spilled milk onto Percy Jackson, the most popular guy at school. Ever since that day, he's had a target on his back and an annoying Percy at his heels. People start to question the relationship between the two, causing Percy to come up with an idea Nico's pretty sure can only end in disaster. M for language and mild sexual themes.


"Shut up, kid."

Nico di Angelo glared at the teen standing in front of him. He stood to his full height, internally groaning when he barely came up to the teen's chest. He gave the teen the roughest shove he could manage, pleased when he actually stumbled back a few inches.

"Make me, asshole." He retorted, dark eyes flashing with anger, silently challenging the teen.

The teen, Perseus Jackson (who preferred to just be called Percy), sneered. He towered a good six to seven inches over the boy in front of him, who was in no means frail. The dark eyed boy looked like he could turn anyone to dust with just one icy glare. It didn't worry Percy at all, though. The boy may have the bark, but his bite was nowhere as strong as Percy's.

He shoved the smaller boy into the lockers, slamming his hands on either side of his head. He growled at the sight of the smirk on the boy's face, wanting nothing but to wipe the expression off of his face.

"You're asking for it. I can't be held responsible for what I'll do to you." He hissed. Nico chuckled.

"Go ahead; hurt me. Make me scream. But honestly, we both know you won't do shit to me. You're all talk Jackson." Nico taunted.

Percy leaned closer to him, fisting his shirt in his hands and lifting him slightly so that they were eye to eye.

"Here's some advice, kid. Learn to shut the hell up when you're around me. Or I _will_ fuck you up." Percy finally said, pushing himself away from Nico. He nodded towards the members of his posse, Grover Underwood and Luke Castellan.

As soon as they were out of his sight, Nico sighed and slumped against the locker. He ran his fingers through his messy black hair, cringing when he hit a tangle. Giving up, he picked his books up from the ground and approached his friend, Rachel Dare.

"The sexual tension between you two is painful." She stated bluntly. Nico rolled his eyes.

"You mean the _nonexistent_ sexual tension?" He asked, shifting his books in his arms. Rachel rolled her eyes this time.

"Come on Nico. You two had better just fuck each other. Everyone in school is getting tired of waiting." She said. Nico sighed.

"Yeah, well they're going to be waiting forever. Nothing's going to happen. We hate each other, remember?" He reminded her gently. They had arrived at his locker, so Nico quickly entered his combination and exchanged his books.

Rachel sighed dramatically.

"Well obviously, if your little encounter back there says anything. But you know some good ole hatred has been shown to lead to some pretty hot angry sex."

Nico frowned and slammed his locker shut.

"Percy and I are _never_ going to have sex with each other. Can we please drop the subject?" Nico asked, exasperated.

Rachel pursed her lips, but didn't push it anymore.

"Alright. How about we talk about how this started? Every time I ask, you brush it off." She said. Nico made a face.

"Rachel…"

She held a hand up.

"I know you don't like talking about it. But I'm really curious. I mean, you guys didn't even know each other before this year. And then, suddenly, he pins this target on you and has been picking on you ever since."

"On the first day of school, I tripped and spilled chocolate milk down the front of his shirt. I had no idea he was like the king of the school. I didn't apologize; I just sort of ran away because I was embarrassed. And since I didn't apologize, Percy can't stop acting like an ass and tortures me every chance he gets."

Rachel chewed her lip thoughtfully.

"Are you scared of him?" She asked.

"A little." He said. Rachel bit her lip again.

"How do you act so calm around him? I've seen kids in your position before, and they all looked like they would piss their pants." Nico shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess I know which buttons of his to press, which makes me feel like I have a chance against him."

The bell rang. Nico sighed heavily.

"Come on, we're late. You ask too many questions, woman." He complained. Rachel rolled her eyes and followed her friend to their next class.

* * *

"I'm going to fuck that little bitch up next time I see him." Percy said vehemently. He grabbed his Gatorade bottle and downed half of the red liquid inside, swallowing angrily. His green eyes were narrowed into dangerous slits. He clenched his fist, pounding it against the table with earth-shattering force.

"Does he really get under your skin that much?" Grover asked, slightly amused. Percy turned his venomous gaze to him.

"The fuck do you think? That little shit's asking for it." He said. Luke rolled his eyes.

"We should have killed him when we had the chance." Luke said in a sing-song voice. Percy gave the blonde on his left a critical look.

"And get our asses thrown in jail? No thank you." He said. Luke sighed.

"I'm just saying. He obviously annoys the hell out of you."

"Who annoys him?" All three boys looked up to see Annabeth Chase standing next to their lunch table. Her curly blonde hair was pulled away from her face. Her stormy grey eyes landed on Percy.

"Nico di Angelo." Grover supplied. Both Luke and Percy glared at him. Grover held his hands up defensively. "Oh, sorry. I forgot I wasn't supposed to say his name." He added, smirking slightly.

Luke narrowed his eyes.

"Bastard." He muttered. "So, what brings you here today Annabeth?" He asked, turning his attention to the girl near them.

"Just wanted to see how Percy was doing. I saw your encounter in the hallway. You should really control your temper." She said, frowning. Percy rolled his eyes.

"I'll keep that in mind, _Mom_." He said sarcastically. Annabeth shook her head.

"I just don't want you to do something you might regret." She said softly, laying a gentle hand on Percy's shoulder.

Luke and Grover exchanged a look. It wasn't exactly a secret that Annabeth had a major crush on Percy. Then again, most girls did. Hell, even a few guys did. Percy just had something about him that drew people in. Well, when he wasn't slamming them against lockers and cursing like a sailor.

"I don't need your warning. I can take care of myself. I know when to stop." Percy said, frowning slightly. He brushed Annabeth off of him, ignoring her hurt look.

"Right." Annabeth said, nodding slightly. She quickly scurried away.

Luke pondered going after her, but decided he was too comfortable to get up. He kicked his feet up on the empty chair next to him, and crossed his arms, looking at Percy.

"So, what's your plan?" He asked. The green-eyed boy looked up.

"What plan?" He asked. Luke noticed that Percy seemed to have calmed down, and thought about how bringing Nico up would spoil his mood. He shook his head.

"Nothing." He said. Percy narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to argue, but the bell rang, cutting him off.

He too shook his head before standing up and kicking the chair in. He approached the exit, meandering around the other eleventh graders filing into the cafeteria. The eleventh graders made up a large portion of the school's student body, causing them to have two separate lunch periods, which miraculously fit between the lunch periods for the freshmen, sophomores, and seniors.

He growled under his breath when he caught sight of Nico. The shorter boy held his gaze for a few seconds before that girl with red hair grabbed him by the arm and led him away.

He shook his head again and pushed through the door, heading to his class.

* * *

Nico sighed as he collapsed on his couch. His sister Bianca laughed.

"I take it you had a long day?" She asked. Nico nodded, sitting up and popping his back and letting out a small happy moan as some of the tension left his body.

"Did Percy bother you today?" Bianca asked. Nico felt his throat grow dry.

"No. He hasn't bothered me in a while." Nico lied. He just didn't want Bianca to keep worrying about him.

"Oh." Bianca said, but she didn't sound too convinced. Nico gave her a large smile, hoping that somehow it would make her see that he was telling the truth.

"I have homework." Nico said, pulling himself up from the couch. He quickly headed upstairs to his room, locking his door once he was inside.

He reached back and rubbed a sore spot on his back with his hand.

_Damn it, Percy_, he thought bitterly.

Images of his green-eyed menace filled his mind. He shook his head, clearing away the images. He didn't want to have to think about Percy.

* * *

"Well, look who we have here." Nico rolled his eyes and slammed his locker shut.

"I'm starting to think you're stalking me, Jackson. You always happen to be where I am." Nico said impassively.

Percy chuckled.

"You wish I was. You're not worth all that time." Nico smirked.

"And yet, here you are." He said. Percy narrowed his eyes. "What do you want, Percy?"

"I just wanted to see if you learned your lesson."

"Which one? The one where I stay the hell away from you, or the one where I learn that you're full of shit?" He asked, finally facing Percy.

The taller teen caged him in with his arms against the lockers.

"Really Percy? No wonder everyone thinks we're going to have sex." Nico continued. Percy snarled.

"Shut the fuck up. And you know damn well what lesson I'm talking about. Mind telling me why everyone is still calling me a coward?" He asked in a menacing tone.

"That has nothing to do with me. Everyone is just getting tired of you not hitting me." Percy narrowed his eyes.

"Do you want me to hit you?" He asked in a low voice. Nico gave him an incredulous look.

"Uh, no! I'm perfectly fine with having you corner me against the lockers." Percy chewed his lips. He seemed…nervous? Before Nico could fully read his expression, he quickly adopted that annoyed and pissed off one Nico was so familiar with.

Percy raised his arm, hand clenched into a fist. Nico stifled his gasp when the fist came closer to him. He jumped in shock when he heard a loud banging. He opened one eye, looking to see Percy's hand next to his head.

"One day, di Angelo. One day." He warned. He pushed himself off of the locker and sauntered away.

Nico's eyes darted over the students in the hallway, most of which looked extremely disappointed Percy hadn't hit him. Nico shook his head. Percy just had the perfect chance to shut everyone up. All it would have taken was a few punches. Why hadn't he hit him?

Nico decided not to worry about it any longer. He pushed his bangs out of his face and went to class.

"Glad you finally decided to join me." Rachel said as Nico slid into the seat next to her. He glanced across the room to where Percy sat. This was the only class the two shared.

He was shocked to find Percy staring straight at him. He flushed, but didn't break eye contact. Percy's eyebrows furrowed, and he turned back to his textbook. Nico released a breath he wasn't aware he had been holding and looked away as well.

Nico ignored Rachel's questioning glance and pretended to be interested in whatever his teacher was droning on and on about. He chewed his lip absently, not noticing it until he slightly tore the skin, causing a stinging sensation to course through the area. He quickly lapped at the tear, forcing himself not to cringe as the metallic taste of blood burst across his taste buds.

His eyes darted back to Percy without his permission. The dark-haired boy was writing something down in his notebook. He paused, head lifting slightly. Nico quickly looked away, clenching his hands into fists.

"Hey, are you okay?" Rachel gently touched his shoulder, her eyebrows drawn together in concern. Nico swallowed, staring at the desk.

"Ms. Dare and Mr. di Angelo." Their teacher said from the front of the room. Nico and Rachel's heads both shot up. "Is there a reason you're talking during my class?" She asked, an eyebrow raised in expectation.

"Nico just didn't understand a question, so I was helping him." Rachel lied smoothly. Nico blinked. Well, it was mostly true. He really had no idea what they were even doing. He was too busy looking at Percy.

"Well, I would hope so. Although, I can't understand why his book isn't open." Nico's face heated up as his eyes landed on the closed textbook.

"Uh, I missed the page number." He said. The teacher gave him a funny look, but said nothing more and turned back to the board.

Nico breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly glanced over at Rachel's book before flipping to the right page. He scanned it quickly, hoping to pick up on _something_ so that he would be able to complete whatever homework assignment he was supposed to do.

When the bell rang, Nico made a move to get up. But Rachel grabbed his shoulder, tugging him to her.

"Alright, what's wrong with you?" She demanded, her green eyes narrowed.

"Nothing." Nico said, watching as a few students who were lingering finally left. Rachel pursed her lips and dropped her hand from Nico's shoulder, gathering her own things.

"We're not done talking about this." Rachel said. Nico sighed heavily.

* * *

Percy ran his fingers through his hair, staring at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He splashed more cold water on his face. He watched as droplets of water fell back into the sink. He leaned heavily on the edge, sighing into his hands.

_What's wrong with you? You had the perfect chance to get everyone to shut up. You just had to hit him! _

He looked at his bruised knuckles, flexing them slightly. Punching the locker was obviously not his best idea.

"I heard about you locker incident today." Percy looked into the mirror to see Luke smirking at him.

"What about it?" Percy asked. Luke shrugged.

"Everyone's really disappointed. Here we all thought you were going to hit _him_, not a locker."

"I was." Percy hissed.

"What happened? Got scared?" Luke asked, still smirking. Percy scoffed.

"No. Kid looked like he was going to cry. I felt bad for him." It wasn't a _total_ lie. Nico, despite that calm exterior he had worn, had an immeasurable amount of fear in his eyes.

"What, are you becoming a softie now? What's that kid doing to you?" Luke asked. Percy growled.

"I'm not becoming a damn softie. He's not doing shit to me." Luke's smirk widened, and Percy vaguely wondered if Nico was the one he really wanted to punch.

"Sure. No one's going to stop calling you a coward until you do something, you know. Either you do _something_ to him, or you have everyone thinking you won't hit him because you're in love with him."

"I'm not fucking in love with him!" Percy roared. Luke laughed.

"Defensive much?" He asked. He looked at the watch on his wrist before pursing his lips. "Looks like I got to run."

He exited the bathroom, leaving Percy standing there. The green-eyed teen turned towards the mirror again. And image of Nico filled his mind. He groaned again, staring at himself in the mirror.

"What are you doing to me, kid?" He asked.

As he predicted, there was no answer. He shook his head and grabbed his bag before leaving.

* * *

"Spill." Rachel demanded, sitting in front of Nico and holding her chin in her hands. Nico raised an eyebrow before taking a sip from his water bottle.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to be a bit more specific." Nico replied coolly. Rachel narrowed her eyes.

"Cut the crap, di Angelo. You know damn well what I'm talking about. What the hell was wrong with you in history?"

Nico shrugged.

"Nothing." Rachel studied him for a few moments.

"It had to do with Percy, didn't it?" She accused. Nico looked up at her quickly before pretending to be interested in the label of his water bottle.

"Did you know this water is enhanced with minerals?" He asked, pointing at a small sentence near the bottom of the label. Rachel glared at him.

"Don't you dare change the subject. You better tell me what happened."

Nico sighed and set his bottle on the tray.

"It was before history," He began. "He cornered me at my locker. I accused him of stalking, and he caged me in with his arms like he always does. I told him that him doing that is the reason everyone always thinks we're going to have sex."

"True." Rachel interrupted. Nico glared at her, and she held her hands up defensively. "Sorry, sorry."

"Anyway, he accused me of telling everyone he was a coward. But it wasn't me…this time, at least. I told him it was probably because everyone wants him to hit me. So then he asked me if I wanted him to, but of course I said no. He went to hit me…but at the last second he punched the locker. Then he walked away."

Rachel pursed her lips.

"So wait. He's worried about people always calling him a coward, but he got the perfect chance to prove them wrong and he didn't do anything?" She asked.

"Exactly. It's weird, though. He's never hit me. I guess it makes sense why he didn't hit me today. But I can't figure out why he wouldn't. He hates me. Don't you usually want to inflict pain on the people you hate?"

"Maybe he doesn't hate you as much as you think he does." Rachel finally said. Nico looked at her in shock.

"What?"

"It's possible. Maybe he doesn't hate you at all. Maybe he just likes messing with you."

"Or maybe he's waiting for me to lower my guard. He'll probably hit me when I least expect it." Nico countered. Rachel shook her head.

"Percy's not that clever."

Nico snorted, but agreed.

"I don't know if I should talk to him about it, though."

"That would be a weird conversation. 'Hey, I was just wondering why you've never hit me.' Yeah, that's not something you guys should talk about." Rachel said, laughing.

"Yeah. I think I'm reading too much into this. I should be happy he's never hit me, not wondering why he never has."

"Exactly. Now, hurry up. Mitchell will lay an egg if we're late again." Rachel said, rolling her eyes.

* * *

"Can I talk to you?"

Nico blinked at shock at the boy standing over him.

"I'm sorry, but did you just ask me to talk? As in, have a conversation. With _you_?" He asked. Percy rolled his eyes and flipped some hair out of his eyes.

"Don't make me repeat myself, kid." He said.

"My name's Nico, not kid." Nico irritably corrected. "What did you want to talk about?" He asked.

"Things. _Alone_." He put extra emphasis on the word by glancing at Rachel. The redhead raised her hands defensively.

"I'm going."

Nico watched with dismay as Rachel walked away. He turned back to Percy, watching as the taller boy took a seat on the bleachers next to him.

"I'm sorry!" He found himself blurting out. Percy raised his eyebrows.

"What?"

"For spilling that milk on you." He clarified. "That's why you don't like me, right?" He asked. Percy snorted.

"You must be stupid if you think that I'm mad over getting a little milk on me." Percy said. Nico frowned.

"Then why do you hate me?" He asked.

"I never said I hated you. I just said that you really piss me off."

Nico swallowed nervously.

_Come on,_ he thought. _Where's that sarcastic, cheeky side of you? Stop acting like you're scared!_

"What did you want to talk about?" He asked calmly. Percy crossed his arms.

"The other day. When I went to punch you." He said. Nico looked at him warily.

"What about it?" He asked. Percy groaned, running his fingers through his hair.

"What are you doing to me? Why can't I hit you? I'm supposed to hit you; I'm supposed to make your life a living hell. The only thing I seem to be good at is making everyone think I'm fucking you out of school."

"I…" Nico didn't know how to respond. What was he supposed to say?

"You don't know. I got it. I hope you're happy to know _you_ are the one making my life hell. My friends all think I'm a coward. Not even those wimpy kids are afraid of me. All because I can't hit you."

"I'm sorry."

Percy shook his head.

"Nothing to be sorry about. It's not your fault you're so damn annoying and frustrating." He said with a smirk. His smirk faded away. "I need a favor from you."

Nico stared at him.

"A favor…from me?" Percy raised his eyebrows.

"Did I not just say that?" Nico flushed.

"Sorry. What do you need?" He asked. He watched as Percy took a deep breath.

"I need you to pretend to go out with me." He said.

Nico couldn't help it. He started laughing. Tears began to form in the corner of his eyes. He looked at Percy, waiting for the other teen to throw in a "just kidding!"

But he never did. He glared at Nico, his sea green eyes narrowed.

"Gee, I'm glad it amuses you." He spat, clearly irritated. Nico cough, awkwardly shifting.

"Sorry. I just didn't think you were serious." He admitted. Percy rolled his eyes.

"Obviously."

"Um, why do you need me to do this?" Nico asked. Percy sighed.

"We both know I'm never going to hit you. I have no idea why. But it's never going to happen. People talk, kid. They think we're fucking. I don't need them thinking I'm a coward. It makes sense that I wouldn't hit you if I were dating you." He explained. Nico pursed his lips.

"How do you explain the teasing?"

"A way to get angry sex." Nico blinked at him. Percy smirked. "Everyone knows angry sex is the best sex."

"I'm a virgin." Percy screwed his lips to the side.

"Act like you're not."

"If I do this."

"If you do this." Percy repeated. Nico sighed.

"This is a lot to ask, you know. Being in a fake relationship with my tormentor isn't exactly something I planned myself doing when I was in high school." Percy rolled his eyes.

"You act like I want to do it. I have no other choice, kid. If I don't do this, my reputation is ruined." He said.

Nico bit his lower lip.

Doing this couldn't end up well. Someone would surely find out they weren't really dating. And if Bianca were to find out, she would surely not be happy. Nico hated the idea of disappointing his sister. But then he looked up at Percy, whose green eyes held a tiny sliver of hope in them. He thought about how he would be disappointing Percy if he said no. He also thought about how he didn't owe the other boy anything.

"I'll do it." He finally said. Percy gave him a shocked look.

"Are you serious?" He asked. Nico shrugged.

"Yeah. It's not like we're actually dating. Plus, I feel kind of bad for you." Nico said. Percy scowled, but didn't say anything. After a few minutes, his expression evened out.

"Thank you." He grumbled. Nico smirked.

"Did you just say-"

"Never speak of it."

Nico held his hands up and grinned.

"So, when do we- mph!" He was cut off by Percy pressing his lips against his. He was surprised that the other's lips were so soft. He hesitantly began to kiss back, hissing slightly when Percy nipped at his bottom lip.

He watched in a daze as the green eyed boy pulled away, shooting him a dazzling smile.

"See you later." He said, getting up and walked back towards the school.

Nico's fingers brushed against his lips.

_What did I just do?_

* * *

"So I heard you're with di Angelo." Luke asked with a smirk. Percy shrugged, pulling his books from his locker.

"You all already knew." He said simply. Luke shrugged.

"I guess. It's kind of weird to have it confirmed. For the first time in a while, a rumor about you is actually true." Percy grinned and closed his locker.

"About damn time." Grover approached them, clapping Percy on the back.

"Great job man. You finally stopped denying your relationship." He said.

"Thanks…I think."

He looked away from them as Nico walked past, his eyes glued to a book in front of him. Percy felt his stomach clench uncomfortably. His eyebrows furrowed. What was that feeling? He felt relieved as Nico exited his line of vision, as the odd feeling in this stomach left as well.

_What the fuck did I get myself into?_

* * *

Nico didn't know what to think as he read the note in his hands.

"Meet me by the bleachers after fourth period."

It was simple, and to the point. Nico hoped that Percy would have elaborated a bit, but the boy wasn't known for giving Nico what he wanted. He sighed and crumpled the note up, depositing it into a recycling bin. Fifth period was lunch. Rachel would surely flip her shit if Nico didn't showed up, but he didn't really have a choice. He was a lot more comfortably dealing with Rachel's wrath than Percy's. Besides, Percy probably wanted to work out the details of their "relationship".

Nico approached the doors that led outside to the football field. His stomach did summersaults as he caught sight of a familiar head of black hair. He walked until he was at Percy's side, gently nudging the taller boy's arm with his own.

"Hey." He said. Percy nodded.

"Hey."

"What's up?" Nico asked.

"I figured we should talk about the relationship thing. You know, work out the details." Nico nodded, and gestured towards the bleachers.

Once both boys were seated, Percy continued to talk.

"We'll have to learn to be affectionate. Kissing, hugging, holding hands."

"No sex."

"No sex." Percy repeated. "Basically, we act like every couple does." Percy added. Nico chewed his lip.

"For how long?" Percy rubbed his face.

"For as long as we need to."

"What if people don't believe it?"

"We 'break up'."

Nico continued chewing his lip.

"You have everything planned out?" He asked. Percy nodded.

"Yeah. You just have to play along."

"What if it doesn't work?" Nico asked. Percy shook his head firmly.

"It will work. Everyone already thought we were dating. It won't take much to convince them."

"You can't be sure-"

"It. Will. Work." Percy hissed, enunciating each word. Nico held his hands up.

"Okay, okay. It's going to work." Percy nodded, a satisfied look on his face.

Percy reached out towards him, pulling Nico closed to him. He rested his hands on his hips, gently pushed his shirt up and rubbing circles with his thumb on Nico's smooth skin. The shorter of the two shivered. Percy's fingers were cold.

He tried to relax when Percy kissed him, but it was hard. His mind kept screaming at him to push the other boy away. Percy seemed to notice his discomfort, because he pulled away slightly.

"Relax. We have to do this, remember?" He whispered. Nico nodded.

"Sorry. It's just going to take some getting used." He said. He looked up into Percy's eyes, surprised at the softness they had. Normally, Percy looked at him harshly. But now, his eyes were…warm.

Nico blinked. Well, today was certainly a…_interesting_ day.

* * *

"Where were you?" Rachel demanded as Nico sat next to her in history.

"Outside. I had to talk to Percy." He said. Rachel gave him a confused look.

"What did Percy talk to you about?" Nico's eyes widened.

Was he supposed to tell Rachel they were dating now? Or should he just say nothing? He grabbed his textbook and quickly flipped to the correct page. Rachel tapped the table with her finger impatiently.

"Um, nothing." Nico finally said. He didn't know why he did, though. Rachel would just push the subject more.

"Bullshit. What did he want?" She demanded. Nico groaned. It was now or never.

"Rachel, there's something I need to tell you." Rachel stopped narrowing her eyes and sat up.

"What is it?"

"Um, well, I'm kind of…dating Percy." He said, clearing his throat when he finished and avoiding Rachel's gaze.

_One…two…three…_

"What?" Rachel screeched. Thankfully, their teacher wasn't in the room yet. Nico glared at her harshly.

"Keep it down, will you?" He hissed. Rachel shook her head quickly.

"Sorry. But you and Percy? Percy Jackson?" Nico rolled his eyes.

"Tall, dark hair, green eyes, sailor's mouth? Yeah, that Percy." He said dryly. Rachel's eyebrows drew together.

"Percy, as in your tormentor? Wow." Nico rolled his eyes again.

"Hey, you were one of the people insinuating we were screwing each other." He reminded her. Rachel chewed her lip.

"I had no idea it was true, though! I just said it because I saw how much it annoyed you. You know how much I like annoying you."

"Hm. How do you know it's true? Maybe I'm not having sex with him." He said. Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"Again, the sexual tension between you two was hard to ignore. You're telling me you didn't get a piece of that?"

"_I'm a virgin."_

"_Act like you're not."_

"Alright, alright. But can we talk about something else? I'm not exactly sure I want to talk about my sex life." Nico said, looking away. Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"I bet you guys have some pretty rough sex. It's probably pretty kinky."

"Rachel!"

Said girl chuckled.

"Sorry." She said, but the smirk on her face said differently.

Nico slammed his head onto the desk, groaning into it.

* * *

**Two Weeks Later**

"This is not happening." Nico muttered as he paced the length of his room.

There was no way he, Nico di Angelo, had a crush on Percy Jackson. Sure, they were faking a relationship. But he wasn't supposed to develop feelings for him!

Nico chewed his lip, running his hand through his hair.

It all started about a week ago, when Percy met up with him at his locker. When Nico looked into his eyes, he suddenly found all the air leaving his lungs. It didn't help that Percy smiled at him, making his heart flutter in his chest. It made Nico feel like those girls in some sappy romance novel.

Ever since then, his attraction to Percy grew. His thoughts about the green-eyed boy also began to stray far from family-friendly.

Nico threw himself on his bed, covering his face with his hands.

"This is not happening." He said again. He groaned in frustration into his hands. A knock on his door made him sit up.

"What can't be happening?" Bianca asked. Nico threw himself back again.

"Nothing." He said. Bianca raised an eyebrow and approached his bed, sitting next to him.

"You're a bad liar, you know." Nico frowned at her and sat up.

"Nothing's wrong. Seriously." Nico said. He internally screamed when Percy's face came up in his mind. Bianca gave him a knowing look.

"You have a crush on someone. Who is he?" She demanded. Nico shifted his eyes away from her.

"Ha. No. Crushes are for chumps." Nico said. Bianca laughed.

"Then I guess you're a chump."

"I am not a chump!" Nico said. Bianca chuckled.

"Alright, you're not a chump. But seriously, who's the guy?" She asked curiously. Nico shook his head and buried his face into his pillow.

"I don't want to talk about it." He said, voice muffled. Bianca sighed dramatically.

"Nico, you're killing me. Can you at least describe him?" She asked. Nico bit his lip.

_I guess it wouldn't do much harm…_

"Well, he's tall. I only come up to his chest-"

"Everyone is taller than you." Nico removed the pillow and gave her the dirtiest look he could. "Sorry, continue."

"Um, he has black hair. His bangs fall into his eyes. I kind of hate that. His eyes are really beautiful. The prettiest eyes I've ever seen. They're green. He's kind of rough around the edges. But he has moments where he's pretty gentle. I love his smile. It makes me so happy every time I see it." Nico said.

Bianca shook her head, smiling.

"That's so cute. But, if I didn't know better, I'd say that guy was Percy Jackson. You know, looks-wise." She said. Nico laughed nervously.

"Percy? That's funny." He said. Bianca shook her head.

"I know. But this guy sounds like he really makes you happy." She said. Nico smiled softly.

"He does."

"That's good. Well, have fun thinking about him, lover boy." She said. Nico threw his pillow at her, but he missed and hit the wall. He rolled his eyes as Bianca's cackling laughter floated down the hall.

* * *

_Stupid kid. Stupid, stupid, kid. Why are you doing this to me? _

Percy ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He didn't like Nico. Nico was an annoying kid who pissed him off. He and Nico had no actual romantic feelings for each other. He didn't not like kissing Nico.

Percy continued repeating these words, hoping that somehow they would become true. But the more his mind repeated them, the more he knew that he was just in denial. Nico didn't annoy or piss him off anymore. He had romantic feelings for Nico, although he couldn't say the same for the other boy. He thoroughly enjoyed kissing Nico.

With a frown, he threw himself onto his bed. Another thought entered his mind that made him think that this whole fake relationship thing was truly stupid.

Semi-formal was next week. He had only one week to somehow convince Nico to go to the dance with him. Kissing and hugging him the hallway was one thing. It was only for a few minutes. But this would be two and a half hours. Percy doubted they could pull it off. As it was, things between him and Nico were becoming increasingly awkward. Going to the dance would not help that.

Percy sighed. He didn't want to have to be uncomfortable around Nico. Especially with his newly discovered feelings. But then there was the part of him who wanted to go because he knew it would mean he'd have an excuse to slow dance with Nico.

_Speaking of feelings, how the hell did all this shit start?_

It annoyed him to no end that he didn't have the answer.

"I'll just ask him tomorrow." He said to himself, burying his head into his pillow.

_God damn it, Nico. You really are making my life a living hell._

* * *

The next day, Percy gathered up as much of his courage as he could. He walked straight to Nico's locker. Taking a deep breath, he tapped the shorter brunette on the shoulder.

"What's up?" Nico asked with a hint of a smile. Percy gave his own tiny smile.

"Will you go to semi with me?" He asked. Nico's eyes widened.

"Are you crazy?" He hissed.

"Maybe. But I really want to go with you." Percy said honestly. He knew that Nico would probably chalk his desire to go to semi with him as a way to make their "relationship" look really, but that was fine with him. He didn't need Nico knowing his feelings yet.

"I don't have anything to wear." Nico said. Percy rolled his eyes.

"Don't be such a girl, Nico. We have time." Nico's head shot up.

"Whoa." Percy raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"You called me by my name! You didn't call me kid." He said, grinning. Percy rolled his eyes again.

"Don't expect it to happen again…_kid_."

* * *

The week before semi was extremely stressful. Every time he thought of it, butterflies would erupt in Nico's stomach. He'd begin to think about how he'd have to slow dance with Percy. This would be extremely difficult, considering how Nico had literally _no idea_ how to slow dance.

By the time the day came, Nico was high considering faking some sort of illness. It was very unlikely to work, though. So he sucked it up and went to school.

In Nico's opinion, the day had gone by far too fast. It was the end of the day before he knew it. He'd only seen Percy once throughout the day. The tall brunette had given him a dazzling smile. Nico swore his knees had turned to jelly.

"Make sure you get lots of pictures." Rachel reminded him. Nico nodded.

"Yeah. Are you sure you're not going?" He asked. Rachel rolled her eyes, green eyes sparkling.

"Yep. Besides, you deserve some alone time with your boyfriend." She said, waggling her eyebrows. Nico blushed.

"S-Shut up!" He hissed, heading towards his car. Rachel's snickers seemed to follow him.

By the time Nico got home, he had about thirty minutes before Percy would come pick him up. Thankfully, Bianca was out with her friends. The thought of explaining the whole Percy situation to her made him shudder.

Nico quickly took a shower before he slowly dressed himself in a black button down, loose black slacks, and black dress shoes. He gave himself a quick once over and nervously look at the clock.

_Five more minutes…_

The doorbell rang, causing him to jump. He took a deep breath and opened it slowly.

"H-Hey, Percy." He said. The other boy was dressed in a dark blue dress shirt, black pants, and black shoes. He looked extremely good.

"Hey. You look good." Nico flushed as the compliment, not exactly expecting it.

"Thanks. You do too." Percy grinned, and held out his hand.

Nico flushed and took it. The ride to school was quiet, almost to the point of it being awkward. Nico snuck a look at Percy, surprised to see the taller boy looking happy. He looked over at him, grinning.

When they arrived at school, Percy met up with Grover and Luke, who had taken Juniper and Annabeth to the dance.

The all-purpose room was decorated nicely. The lights were dimmed, and Chinese lanterns hung across the ceiling. On the stage was the DJ, who was in the middle of setting up. Tables had been set up in the corner with various snacks. The tables were covered with deep blue cloth, and little silver stars had been sprinkled everywhere.

"Nice, right?" Nico jumped at the sound of Percy voice right in his ear. He nodded.

"Very."

"Have you ever been to semi before?" Percy asked. Nico shook his head.

"No. You?" Percy smiled and shook his head as well.

Finally, music began playing. People drifted to their significant other, wrapping their arms around each other. Percy gently pulled Nico to him, the shorter boy letting out a (not so) manly shriek.

"I don't know how to do this." Nico quickly whispered.

Percy gently grabbed Nico's arms and wrapped them around his neck. He then put his hands on Nico's waist, and gently move him so that he was swaying slightly. He moved them around in a slow circle. After a few minutes, Nico began to become more comfortable. Percy smiled.

"See? It's not too bad."

A comfortable silence passed between them.

"I'm sorry." Nico looked at Percy in shock.

"For what?"

"For picking on you. You didn't deserve it." He said. Nico could see the sincerity in his eyes. He gasped a little as Percy tightened his grip on his waist. "I was such an asshole to you."

"It's okay." Nico said gently. Percy shook his head.

"It's not. I'm so sorry, Nico." He said.

"I'm not mad at you anymore, Percy. We're friends now." Nico said. It hurt to say that they were only friends, but Nico knew Percy didn't feel the same way about him.

"I don't want to be friends with you." Percy said. Nico felt his heart drop to his stomach. He looked at the ground, tears forming in his eyes.

"Oh…"

Percy gently tilted his chin up.

"I didn't mean it like that. I don't want to be friends with you because I see you as much more than that." He said. Nico swallowed.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I was hoping we could start actually dating." At Nico's look, Percy quickly cleared his throat. "Only if you want to, of course. If you don't want to, that's fine. I mean it's-"

Nico promptly cut him off by placing a gentle kiss on his lips.

"Yes, I'll go out with you. For real, this time."

Percy grinned. Their relationship may not have been the most normal one, but he knew he wouldn't change a thing.


End file.
